Evil Genius: Modus Operandi
by DarkLightShades
Summary: A day in the life of Chase Young, dealing with obtuse ninjas, ungrateful pets and one Jack Spicer, hopeless admirer, who might deserve just a little more credit than he's given.


**Disclaimer**: None of the characters of Xiaolin Showdown belong to me. I can't even claim to have watched the latest season, unfortunately.

**Evil Genius: Modus Operandi**

The only reason Chase Young had even bothered to consider the request was because he'd already been thinking of having his lair renovated earlier that day. While he was eternal, immortal, unchanging, his fortress of evil wasn't quite as ageless. Every hundred years or so he was forced to reset the support beams, restore the crumbling stones and wash the algae out of the pools or he risked having the whole place come down on his head. It wasn't really dangerous to someone of his skill level, but it was inconvenient to hire a cleanup crew or to find someplace else to live.

So when Jack Spicer had sneaked into the mountain fortress for the third time, Chase stilled his instinctive urge to feed the boy to his cats. He kept his face a perfect expression of unfriendly indifference as the babbling boy had passed him a thick, impressive looking résumé.

If he hadn't been quite so controlled he might have raised an eyebrow, but instead he simply looked through the expensively printed pages with mild interest. Hero worship could drive a person to do ridiculous things it seemed, and while Chase wasn't unfamiliar with such attention he'd certainly never been approached by someone so…hopeless. Only the best and brightest warriors ever found the courage to request training, and even they found their skills lacking when compared to the half-dragon.

Still, the boy had managed to get past his security measures which indicated he wasn't completely useless, and his lair _was_ starting to fall into disrepair again…

"Well…this seems to be in order," Chase said blandly, using simple sleight of hand to make the papers disappear seemingly into thin air. It wasn't a difficult trick, but Jack still seemed impressed and Chase had to consciously prevent himself from rolling his eyes. Maybe he would live to regret this decision after all…but not before he got some of the cleaning done. "If you follow me, I'll show you where to begin."

"Thank you so much!" Jack gushed, swooning uncomfortably close to Chase's personal space. "I'll be the best evil-partner-in-training ever!"

That wasn't quite the position Chase had in mind, but the boy would be stripped of his delusions of grandeur soon enough. He led the boy to the basement which – on the few occasions Chase had needed it – also doubled as the dungeon. He saw Jack's eyes light up in childish delight.

"Oh man, I love the archaic feel of this place. You sure do know how to decorate."

"Naturally," Chase agreed, deciding to humor the boy. Really, the design of his dungeon was years out of date, but that was because he hadn't needed it for nearly three centuries. Most of his foes were smart enough not to be taken alive.

"Your first task," he began, depressing a hidden switch on the wall to reveal a small storeroom. It contained a mop and bucket, a sink, a variety of clothes and liters upon liters of industrial strength disinfectant. "Is to make this place spotless. Keep a record of anything that needs to be repaired or replaced and," he paused significantly, watching Jack's face carefully, "Do your best to get the blood off the walls."

The last thing he'd expected was for Jack to beam at him and salute. "Yes sir!"

Chase blinked. Of all the other prospective apprentices he's had over the years, those who had some vestiges of good in them had baulked at the idea of blood, and those who were entirely evil had protested the menial chores. Could it be that the Spicer boy had already progressed to the stage where he realized that simple chores were the foundation on which monks learned concentration and discipline? He spent another moment scrutinizing the boy before pulling back in disgust. No…Jack was just a desperate groupie who didn't care what he was doing, as long as he was seeking Chase's approval. Pathetic.

"I'll expect you to be finished in two hours." An impossible task, but Chase was feeling vindictive now. He stalked up the stairs without another word to the red head, impatient to get back to his usual schedule after have wasted nearly half an hour with the boy.

An evil genius' work was never done, after all.

xXxXxXxXx

There was a suspicious, circular indent in his bed, marked clearly with black fur that was visible even on the dark blue sheets. Chase whirled around to find the culprit dozing lazily next to the fireplace.

"You've been sleeping on my bed again, haven't you?" he accused the panther mildly. "You do know there are many other comfortably sleeping places in the east wing with the others." Though no one would dare accuse him of it, Chase spoiled his pets shamelessly. It one of the trivialities he used to fill eternity.

The big cat yawned hugely and rolled over to face him. _All the best places are already taken_, she replied, not even slightly apologetic. She knew her master favored her.

Chase sighed, more for effect then any real harassment. "I'll have to change the bedding again. You're shedding all over the place."

She shuddered violently, a move that deliberately sent more black fur flying into the air. _Summer is coming. Get used to it._

He regarded the new layer of delicate fuzz settling into the carpet with mild distaste. The reptile in him didn't appreciate the mess, but the panther was a useful guard to keep intruders out of his rooms. Maybe he could get Spicer to clean it up…?

Mulling over the pros and cons of the idea, he pulled a heavy tome off the bedside table with ease. "I'll be in the library," he informed the cat needlessly.

_Watch out for the assassin_, she called after him sleepily, settling back into her former position. _I think he booby trapped the door._

Chase allowed himself a small smirk. So, someone else had decided to pay him a little visit, had they? He couldn't have been that good, or his pets would have informed him about the intruder earlier. Still, an ambush in the library was inconvenient. He had a lot of valuable books in there which he didn't want to risk damaging.

The library was blocked by a large, impressive set of double doors which were also fitted with an equally impressive set of locks that he never bothered to use. He wasn't invaded all that often, and these days few realized the importance of books and scrolls. Thieves were usually much more interested in his treasure rooms downstairs. As predicted there was a crudely placed trap on the door; an explosive seal which indicated the assassin was probably from one of the Ninja clans. Chase idly tried to think of who he had offended lately as he performed the counter-seal with practiced ease. No one in particular came to mind, but he had lived a very long life and Ninjas were known to hold grudges even over multiple generations. He'd probably annoyed them all at some point, and when it came right down to the heart of the matter he didn't really care. This was either a token of defiance or some low-class idiot acting on their own.

Having finished disarming the trap he pulled the door open and stepped into the library, only to walk head-first into the second trap. Cursing his negligence, Chase leapt to the ceiling, sticking easily to its surface as he watched the area he'd just been standing on flare with tendrils of electricity. This trap had been much more skillfully placed, and he was forced to reconsider his previous theories.

"That was quite impressive," he announced seemingly to the empty room, but a moment later an almost invisible shadow on the opposite wall moved to join him on the ceiling.

"As was your reaction," the shadow announced, walking easily upside down. "You're as good as everyone says you are."

"Well I do have a certain reputation," Chase agreed, studying his opponent. "As do you, Grey Fox."

The old ninja grinned, showing more than a few missing teeth. "I see you've been doing your homework. Good. Shall we begin?" His stance lowered with obvious intent to fight, but Chase held up a hand.

"First tell me why you invaded my home. I had been lead you believe that you retired more than a year ago."

"Anyone can be brought out of retirement for the right price," Grey Fox confessed. "And I admit that I was intrigued by the opportunity to fight you."

Chase made note of the fact that he'd used the word 'fight', not 'kill', but let it slide for the moment. He was also vaguely interesting in seeing how the other man measured up to his skills, even if the Ninja was well past his prime. "Then I won't keep you waiting. If I win, you tell me about your employer."

Grey Fox smiled another crooked smile. "And if _I _win?"

Chase smirked. "You won't."

xXxXxXxXx

The fight kept them occupied for the better part of an hour. Despite his initial confidence, Chase discovered the old man had a number of unexpected tricks up his sleeve. Grey Fox was certainly deserving of his reputation, even if he had been in retirement, but in the end he still couldn't keep up with Chase, who had a few extra centuries of experience and a younger, stronger body besides.

"You've lost," Chase announced when the Ninja finally collapsed to one knee, trying to steady himself with one of the light fixtures. The dragon overlord had kept the battle confined to the ceiling in order to spare his precious books, and it had been an interesting experience to work against gravity as well as his opponent.

"Indeed," Grey Fox panted, absently clutching at a wound in his side. "You certainly lived up to my expectations, as well as those of my employer."

Chase frowned. "Your employer…tell me about him."

"Faceless, nameless…but all the smart ones are. He is concerned about your interest in a certain Xiaolin Temple and wished for me to pass on a warning. Don't interfere in matters that are not your concern." The last was said with a different inflection than the Fox's usual speech, obviously an imitation of his employer.

Chase folded his arms in thought, casually turning his back on the Ninja. "I'm sure he will be pleased that you have completed your mission successfully. You may leave."

The both knew that his mission hadn't been to simply pass on the message, and he could almost feel the force of the old man's grin on his back. "It was a pleasure to face you, Chase Young." There was a quiet snap of a teleportation scroll being opened, and Chase didn't need to turn around to know that the Grey Fox was gone.

_So the plot thickens_, Chase mused, carefully considering the strange encounter from every conceivable angle. After a long moment he was brought out of his revive by the growing awareness of the chaos around him. The ceiling was covered in dents, scorch marks, splashes of blood and less identifiable substances, and a collection of the Grey Fox's kunai which had missed their target by varying margins.

Next time he'd remember to take his battles outside. His repair list was long enough as it was.

xXxXxXxXx

_Have fun?_ The panther questioned, amused. Shortly after noticing the state of the ceiling, Chase had also realized he wasn't looking like his usual immaculate self either. Grey Fox had certainly been a worthy opponent, even though most of the damage was limited to scratches in his amour and tears in his clothing. All the wounds had healed over already thanks to his dragon-like healing.

"You could have warned me," Chase said, vanishing into his wardrobe to get changed. "He was better than I expected."

_He had no killing intent_, she argued, flicking another piece of wood onto the dying fire with a paw. _So what did he want?_

"To test me," came the simple answer. "They want to know if I will be a threat to their plans if I decide to interfere."

_Will you?_

Chase re-emerged, impeccably groomed once more. He ran his fingers through his long, ebony mane before tossing it back over his shoulder, trusting it to fall back into place. "Maybe. I don't appreciate being threatened in my own home, nor do I like others making designs on the Xiaolin Temple."

_Ah_, she said, but didn't elaborate. She knew enough of Chase's history with the temple not to question his possessiveness. Abruptly she sat up, sniffing the air with mild interest. _The boy is wandering the halls. You may want to go deal with him before the others forget your orders and eat him._

"I see." His internal clock reminded him that it was drawing close to the time limit he had placed on Jack. Had he actually managed to finish in time? Maybe he was worth keeping around after all.

xXxXxXxXx

He found Jack Spicer being backed into a corner by a pair of lions, arms held up unthreateningly.

"Nice kitties. Please don't eat me…"

A rebuking mental commend sent the two cats slinking sulkily off into the darkness. Jack sighed in relief only to jump when Chase appeared out of nowhere. "Have you completed the task?"

"Uh…Yeah. It's all done. I even tightened the bolts on the rack for you and scoured all the rust off the guillotine." The teen smiled, adjusting the collar of his overcoat proudly. "You strike me as the kind of guy who appreciates initiative."

Chase was, and he was perhaps even slightly impressed that the boy had gone to all the trouble, not that he'd let is show on his face. "How?"

Jack's expression dropped slightly and he reluctantly reached into his pocket o bring out a palm-sized ball. He flipped it into the air, and in an impressive display of modern robotics it expanded and morphed into the shape of a much larger robot.

"I brought five of them," Jack admitted defensively. "You never said I couldn't have any help."

"Indeed." It wasn't the first time Chase had underestimated Jack that day, and he was beginning to wonder if he should start giving the boy a bit more credit. One look at the boy's starry eyed expression decided him against it.

"So what's next? Working on a weapon of mass destruction? Plotting to take over Europe?"

"Restoration of the library ceiling," Chase told him, leading the boy back to the former battle site. "I'll expect you to be finished in one hour. And don't touch the books. Some of them bite."

Jack seemed somewhat stunned as he surveyed the ceiling. "How am I supposed to get up there?"

"I'm certain you'll figure something out," Chase said, already bored. He turned to leave, tossing a negligent wave over his shoulder that was more intended for the tiger dozing under one of the tables than Jack.

"But what am I going to fix it with?" Jack called, but Chase had already left. Jack sighed in admiration, activating his robots. "He is so evil. I love it!"

Thankfully, the robots kept their thoughts on the matter to themselves.


End file.
